


Practically Perfect

by MyGoldenChances



Category: Waitress - Bareilles/Nelson
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 15:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13526721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyGoldenChances/pseuds/MyGoldenChances
Summary: Some years down the road, Jenna Hunterson is running her pie shop and raising her daughter when an old familiar face stops by the diner. [Future One-Shot]





	Practically Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little future ficlet that popped into my head. It was the first Waitress fic I ever wrote and originally posted to my Tumblr. I tried to imagine where Jenna's life would go from the end, and this is what I came up with. So, here's a little fluff to dig into that a bit.
> 
> I took a few liberties, but overall tried not to stray from the canon that was set. Also, characters are based in the OBC.

Jenna stirs before her alarm, yawning and taking a deep breath as the sleep haze begins to clear. She glances over at the clock and sees that she has ten minutes of sleep to spare. Sunlight hasn't quite registered yet, and she pulls the blanket closer to her to protect her from the morning chill. Her bed partner snores quietly next to her, one arm draped over her side, resting on her belly, and a leg tucked between hers. She snuggles into him, enjoying the warmth of his skin against hers. Soon, the snoring stops and she feels him wake.

He murmurs a sleepy "good morning" and places a kiss on her shoulder.

She fights the urge to curse at her alarm when it blares, yanking her from her bubble and reminding her that 5:30 is go time today. It's an extra effort to tear herself out of bed and the man in it (who gets to sleep another hour - lucky bastard) but she manages, giving him a quick kiss as she parts. Normally she would be going in to the shop later, but the holiday rush is no time to leave Becky and Dawn, along with her other staff, up to their eyeballs in pumpkin pastries, pecan pies, and seasonal lattes. So, she cleans up, dresses, and grabs the quickest bite she can (a granola bar and yogurt) from the kitchen before packing Lulu's lunch.

By 6:10, she's in her daughter's room, pushing back tangled red curls and placing a kiss on her forehead. The nine-year-old groans sleepily as Jenna whispers, "I love you" and a promises to see her after school.

With that, she grabs her coat and is headed out the door to conquer Sassy Salted Caramel Spice pie and Topsy-Turvy Turkey quiche.

 

* * *

 

The day rolls along far more smoothly than Jenna expects, at least as far as the number of customers. Then again, it's also the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Most of her usuals have taken off to spend the holiday with their families. Those who do show up, though, are mainly after her Thankful and Plentiful Pumpkin Pie, given that there are signs plastered everywhere that the shop will be closed for Thanksgiving Day.

Becky spends the lulls in between rushes mimicking every member of Cal's family and giving a play-by-play of the scene she was anticipating later that night.

"You know, we only see them once a year," she notes as she wipes down tables, "and for good reason."

Jenna raises an eyebrow, still trying, after so many years, to picture what the hell kind of family her former cook could possibly come from or have a relationship with, and asks, "And why's that?"

"They ain't got any sense, and they stick their noses where they don't belong." Jenna doesn't have to ask before Becky continues, "The number of times they've asked us if we're ever gonna get married - Jenna, I swear, I can't walk into that house without his mama checking my left hand." She throws her rag down and leans over the counter. "And his sister and her  _glares._  I doubt she's ever liked anyone Cal brought home, but I know the sour look she gives us when we walk in is because she was hoping I would be Ethel."

Dawn, who's busy refilling napkin dispensers, pipes up from across the shop. "Maybe she's still warming up to you, you know? You said it took them a long time before they even invited you to visit after the divorce."

"Dawn, sweetie, that was  _three years_ ago. I have a better relationship with Phil's 'survived-bys' than I do with them."

Jenna doesn't comment, but instead heads to the kitchen to grab the last of the day's pumpkin pies. As she places them to cool, she hears the jingle of the shop bell and her two best friends greetings of, "Hey, kiddo!" and "How was school, hon?"

The baker smiles to herself, hangs up her apron, and heads straight back to the front of the shop.

"Mama, I made an A on my spelling test!" Lulu shouts excitedly, bouncing as she runs to greet her mother.

Jenna pulls her into a big hug and asks, "Oh, you mean the one over those words you were having trouble with?"

"Yup!" the redhead declares proudly. "I even got the bonus."

She pulls her backpack off her shoulders and rummages in it for a moment, pulling out a sheet of paper. Jenna beams as she reads an 11 out of 10 and says, "I'm so proud of you, baby girl. That's going on the fridge when we get home."

Dawn is already plating a slice of Practically Perfect Pecan Pie when Lulu sits down at her usual counter stool. Jenna tries to scold her about giving the girl sweets before dinner time, but Dawn protests, "Well, I think A+ spellers deserve a treat. Especially when it means you can start using new words in those poems Uncle Ogie taught you how to write."

The four chatter happily for a while, taking advantage of the currently empty restaurant. By 4:00, Becky and Dawn are clocking out early to get a jump start on Thanksgiving travels - Dawn with Ogie and their two precocious twin boys, and Becky with Cal. Jenna had let the rest of the staff go after lunch, so she stays to close up shop, helping Lulu with math homework in between serving the last few customers.

Around 5:00, she decides to give it another ten to fifteen minutes to see if anyone else shows up to decide whether or not to close early. She's just about to call it a day, taking the empty pie tins back to the kitchen, when she hears the jingle of the bell.

"Be with you in just a second, hon!" she calls out to the waiting customer, quickly disposing the tins into the sink for later rinsing before washing in the industrial dish washer.

She wipes her hands on her apron and reaches for the pad and pen in her pocket as she walks back to the dining area, and asks, "What can I get for you?"

As soon as she looks up to see who her new patron is, though, she nearly crashes into the pie cart she'd left behind the counter.

 

* * *

 

Jim slumps back in his seat as he parks the car outside of Lulu's Pies. He closes his eyes and rubs his temples, exhausted from driving seven hours (which would normally be cut in half, but alas, that was not his lot in life this holiday weekend). He opens his eyes again to glance up at the brightly-lit pie diner. He hadn't seen the place after it was renovated and wondered if it was even the right restaurant.

He also wonders if  _she_  will still be here.

He has no business coming back here after so long, but the long trip from Atlanta, along with the work he has ahead of him this weekend, has him hoping for chance to taste those magical pies again. Hell, it doesn't even have to be pie. He'll take anything she makes. It's been so long, but he can still remember just how healing her baking was.

And he needs that small shred of hope right now.

As he exits the car, his stomach begins to churn and his heart pounds. He walks slowly toward the door, tugging his coat tighter to himself to fight the cold and his nerves, unsure of how his presence will be received. Would she welcome him? Kick him out? Would she even remember him? Surely she would.

As he inches closer, he can see through the windows and into the shop. Sure as the world, there she is, smiling radiantly at a little girl with the most beautiful head of bright red curls, and fussing over the pies. The girl gets up from her seat, and she and Jenna both disappear in different directions. He pauses then to consider his options, wrestling with the choice to quit being a coward and go in or to turn around and not upset another apple cart.

 _It's for pie,_ he reminds himself.  _You're here for pie._

Before he talks himself out of it, he swallows, takes a deep breath, and steps inside.

 

* * *

 

"Dr. Pomatter!" is all Jenna can manage at the sight of him.

"Hi, Jenna," he tells her quietly, looking down at his own shoes.

She stares blankly at him and is only broken out of her trance when Lulu returns from the restroom.

"Mama, who's this?" she asks, not unkindly, just...curiously.

There's a long pause before Jenna shakes her head to snap out of it. "Oh, right!" she turns to Lulu, trying to sound thrilled. "Sweetie, this is Dr. Pomatter. We go  _way_  back. He helped deliver you! Dr. Pomatter, you remember my daughter Lulu, right?"

"Of course!" She watches as he extends his hand to her daughter. "You've gotten so big. How do you do?"

Lulu hesitates at first but, upon a brief inspection, seems to decided he's not bad and says in her most polite voice, "Pleased to meet you," and shakes his hand. Jenna and Jim both laugh lightly at the exchange.

Just then, Jenna glances outside to see a familiar car pull up.

"Sweetie, that's your daddy," she tells Lulu. "Go on and head home with him, and I'll be along as soon as I close up, okay?"

"Okay," the girl replies, grabbing her backpack, "I'm gonna go show him my spelling test!"

They exchange goodbyes and "love you"s as Lulu bounds out the door. Then suddenly the room is silent, and Jenna and Jim find themselves facing nobody but each other.

"So," Jim shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets.

"So," Jenna parrots with a nod, pocketing her pad and pen and rocking back and forth on her feet.

Silence ghosts over the room, lingering between the two. Jenna finally makes eye contact with the good doctor and notices him looking down. She self-consciously places a hand on her swelling belly and stares down at it before returning her gaze to him.

"You're pregnant again," he notes.

Jenna nods and smiles. "A boy," she says, "due in February."

She catches him taking a peek at her left hand and the two sparkling, still-fairly-new rings that sit on it.

"I bet they're excited," he says, tilting his head toward the direction of the car that's pulling away.

Jenna nods and turns to grab a rag so she can busy herself with...something.

"Lulu can't wait," she tells Jim as she begins wiping down the counter. "Jack, on the other hand, is a nervous wreck."

"Your husband," the doctor surmises.

Jenna confirms, "Almost two years now."

Jim nods again and removes his hands from his pockets to pull out his wallet. "He's a lucky guy, Jenna."

Jenna smiles, genuinely this time, and tells him sincerely, "Thank you."

The two grow silent again as Jenna continues to clean the counter. It's not until the pause becomes awkward that Jenna realizes that he's still standing there and she hasn't taken his order yet.

"Oh, shoot!" she tosses her rag down and reaches back into her apron pocket for her pad and pen, "I'm sorry, Doctor. What was it you came in here for?"

Jim holds a forgiving hand up and says, "It's fine." They both turn their attention back to the pies still on display, and he eyes the only whole one left. "Is that pumpkin?"

Jenna smiles. "You want the whole pie or just a slice?"

"The whole thing," the doctor responds with a wide smile, the awkwardness beginning to fade. "No question."

As Jenna reaches under the counter for a box and preps the pie to go, she asks, "So, are you and Francine in for the holiday weekend?"

She remembers the day she found out he had left the hospital and was moving away to practice in Atlanta. They had run into each other a few times after Lulu was born and Earl's rights had been stripped, but she hadn't heard a word about him or his wife since.

Jim sighs and, hesitantly replies, "Well... _I'm_  in for the holiday weekend." Jenna doesn't ask, instead tilting her head and scrunching her eyebrows. He looks away, focusing anywhere but at her now, before deciding to elaborate.

"I have to work through Thanksgiving," he explains. "Major complications with one of my former patients here. I'm the only one who understands her condition enough to help her, and I've had to do this for her last two pregnancies."

He pauses again before adding, "I'm missing my daughter's school pagaent. Just like every other recital and event I've had to miss for my job."

_Oh._

Jenna isn't sure how to respond. The man really hasn't changed much in the last several years.  _Always looking after everyone else_ , she thinks.

"I'm really sorry, Dr. Pomatter," is her sincere response. He shrugs as she rings the pie up, then hands her a twenty and tells her to just keep the change.

She hands him the box and adds, "Keep your chin up. Your daughter is lucky to have a daddy who works so hard. I'm sure she knows you'd rather be with her."

He tilts his head. "You think so?"

Jenna nods. "I really do."

They're both quiet once more, the silence more comfortable this time. With that, Jim nods and, like she had, gives her his own sincere "Thank you."

He turns to leave, and Jenna decides not to push any further. But as he's halfway to the door, he turns back around and says, "You seem really happy, Jenna." A pause, and then, "I'm happy  _for_  you."

She smiles because he's right. She  _is_  happy. And she hopes he will be too, if he isn't now.

"Will you be back before you leave?" she asks.

He shakes his head, "As soon as I can get home, I'm taking off."

"But you'll have to come back around to get more of that pie," she chides playfully.

He grins knowingly and replies, "I'll be sure to. My daughter's gotta try the best in the world sooner or later."

Jenna laughs, hopeful at the thought, and tells him, "Take care of yourself, Dr. Pomatter."

He holds out the pie as a sort of salute, "You too, Jenna."

They finish their goodbyes, and Jenna watches him disappear.

It may be years before she sees him again, if at all, but she had forgotten what a good friend he had been to her for the short time she knew him all those years ago. The memory is fond and makes her even more eager to get back home to her family.

He was never the be-all-end-all of her happiness - not like Lulu was - but he had given her that nudge she'd needed to keep holding on until she'd found hope in her daughter. He hadn't been part of her life for long, either, but she can't help but feel grateful for that time.

She almost can't even remember those years before Lulu turned her world upside down.

_Buzz._

Jenna's reverie is broken by the vibration of her phone in her pocket (a tool she'd only broken down and bought recently because she hated the damn things). She pulls it out to read a new text from Jack.

_Lulu asked if she can cook dinner and bake a dessert. Says she wants to learn how to make food "as good as mama makes."_

The idea isn't that bad, though she knows Lulu isn't ready to be let loose in the kitchen for a whole meal just yet. Still, she  _can_ budge a little for the child's enthusiasm.

She beams and texts back:  _Tell her she gets to bake the pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow._


End file.
